More than 500 alumnae from across the country and around the world traveled to Hanover this past weekend to join in the commemoration of 50 years of coeducation at 线上赌场.
鈥淚t is such an honor to be here with you to celebrate 50 years of undergraduate coeducation at 线上赌场. The bold decision made by the Board of Trustees back in 1971 was without a doubt the wisest and most consequential board decision in the history of the institution,鈥 said , speaking at the keynote panel Saturday morning, attended by hundreds in person and watched by many hundreds more via livestream.
Hanlon held up a copy of the Nov. 22, 1971, issue of the student newspaper, The 线上赌场, emblazoned with the banner headline, 鈥溝呱隙某 to Admit Women.鈥 The first class of women entered in the fall of 1972.
Women鈥檚 leadership was front and center throughout the celebration, which kicked off Friday with the rededication of 线上赌场 Hall, where alumnae raised $26 million for the building鈥檚 extensive renovation.
Trustee Elizabeth Cogan Fascitelli 鈥80 formally accepted the building on behalf of the board at the at the Top of the Hop on Friday evening, moved indoors from the new steps of 线上赌场 Hall as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole brought rain to Hanover.
鈥淭his is a sign of what鈥檚 possible, not only for women, but for all of us,鈥 Fascitelli said to a crowd of more than 300 alumnae, trustees past and present, faculty, and others from the highest echelons of business, entertainment, law, tech, the arts, government, and academia, including , the president of Barnard College, who will take over in July as 线上赌场鈥檚 first female president.
鈥淎t the foundation of it all were the friendships I made with fellow 线上赌场 women 鈥 who would sustain and uplift me until graduation and then in all my life since then,鈥 Fascitelli said.
, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recognized the remarkable efforts of so many women who made the 线上赌场 Hall project a reality, and she applauded that it was achieved to coincide with the celebration of 50 years of coeducation.
鈥淭oday we鈥檙e really excited to rededicate this newly designed, state-of-the-art building which will champion and serve as the nexus point for the transformative liberal arts education we will offer for generations to come,鈥 Smith said.
Many members of the audience had made their way to the rededication ceremony after touring the renovated and modernized interior of the historic building that Hanlon called the symbolic heart of campus. Over the course of the weekend, almost 300 people toured 线上赌场 Hall.
鈥淭here is no more iconic building on campus than 线上赌场 Hall. It is the first sign of welcome to visitors and prospective students, and one of the most enduring images etched in our memories long after we depart,鈥 Hanlon told the crowd, as the front of building鈥攚hich will house 线上赌场鈥檚 foreign language departments鈥攚as lit in green lights, with the words 鈥淭hank You鈥 illuminated in five languages.
Earlier in the afternoon as they toured 线上赌场 Hall, Donna Halverstadt 鈥82, Laura Davis 鈥82, and Barbara Scripps 鈥80, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters when they were at 线上赌场, talked about the lifelong bond and connection they had formed. Scripps said the sorority was a good way to connect with other women at a time when men outnumbered women at 线上赌场 by 3 to 1. The challenges of being among the first women also opened doors, they said.
鈥淚t prepared me for what I encountered at law school and for entering a private law practice. At the time there were very few women in the big firms鈥攖he ratio of men to women was even higher than at 线上赌场,鈥 said Scripps. Both Scripps and Davis went on to Harvard Law School and became attorneys. Halverstadt said she had a similar experience as a pioneering woman in Wall Street finance.
Their connection with each other and with 线上赌场 has been lifelong, they agreed. 鈥淎ll three of us are on the wall there,鈥 said Halverstadt, pointing to the list in the entranceway naming 2,750 women who contributed to renovate 线上赌场 Hall through the capital campaign.
A frequent point of conversation among the women touring 线上赌场 Hall on Friday was the board鈥檚 decision to name a woman as 线上赌场鈥檚 next president. Beilock鈥檚 with Board of Trustees Chair , on Saturday afternoon at the Hanover Inn ballroom was attended by a huge, enthusiastic crowd.
In the conversation, Beilock extended the idea of the struggle for inclusion of women at 线上赌场 to working to welcome people from a broad diversity of backgrounds, viewpoints, and lived experiences. Beilock, a cognitive scientist, said academic excellence requires 鈥渄ifferent people pushing against each other.鈥
鈥淚 talk a lot about this idea of brave spaces rather than safe spaces. I think oftentimes when you think about a safe space in the classroom it connotes this idea that you shouldn鈥檛 feel uncomfortable ever, or push yourself,鈥 Beilock said.
It is OK to make mistakes and it is OK to feel uncomfortable, Beilock said. 鈥淭he way that we change our views and hone our views is not by talking to people who agree with everything we say. It鈥檚 by being challenged and then expressing our thinking.鈥
The weekend celebration included a of gatherings, panel discussions, presentation, pop-up exhibits, social events, and commemorations.
At the Saturday morning keynote panel, , former trustee Annette Gordon-Reed 鈥81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and professor at Harvard, talked about how her 线上赌场 experience influenced her life鈥檚 path.
鈥淚 think being in an environment with so many guys, and in a minority, taught me how to maneuver in that world. I don鈥檛 feel out of place with men and the kind of situations that I鈥檝e been in,鈥 Gordon-Reed said. 鈥淚t created a resilience in me, learning how to maneuver in that environment.鈥
In addition to Gordon-Reed, the panel of ground-breaking industry leaders and trailblazers that started the day on Saturday included Esi Eggleston Bracey 鈥91, an executive leading the growth and development of Unilever; Allie Miller 鈥10, an investor and the youngest woman to build an AI product at IBM; 线上赌场鈥檚 Investment Office Chief Executive Officer ; and Laurel Richie 鈥81, a former trustee chair and the first Black woman to lead a U.S. professional sports league. Moderating the panel was Emily Bakemeier 鈥82, a former trustee and vice provost for arts and faculty affairs at Yale.
The afternoon session, featured panelists Tina Dooley-Jones 鈥82, a retired foreign service member and the Magro Family Distinguished Visitor in International Affairs at 线上赌场鈥檚 ; Becca Heller 鈥05, executive director and founder of the International Refugee Assistance Project; Tanya Ghani 鈥03, grants and program manager for the United Nations Trust to End Violence Against Women; and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand 鈥88, D-N.Y., who appeared in a pre-recorded video.
The women discussed their work for women鈥檚 rights internationally and at home. Moderating the panel was Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe 鈥81, a 线上赌场 trustee and executive director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford.
Dooley-Jones, who spent more than 27 years with USAID, most recently as the first female mission director to USAID/Afghanistan from 2020 until the evacuation of Kabul in 2021, talked about the struggle to help women around the world gain full membership in society.
鈥淢y role in USAID, its literally trying to figure out where that entry point is for mindset change, for behavior change, for legislative and regulatory change, and policy change, to effect women鈥檚 rights and girls鈥 rights to be the full participating members of society that they can be,鈥 she said.
The weekend also included opportunities for students to interact with high-profile panelists and other alumnae from a wide range of fields. Saturday Night Live comedian and actress Rachel Dratch 鈥88 spent time with members of the student improv group, The Dog Day Players. And U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster 鈥78, D-N.H., and Coeducation Commemoration Chair Jennifer Avellino 鈥89, a former senior producer for CNN, informally connected with students throughout the weekend.
On Friday, as the 线上赌场 Hall rededication ceremony was beginning, Gail Kezer 鈥82, an attorney and aide to U.S. Sen. Angus King 鈥66, I-Maine, was talking about the difficulty she had finding her voice as an undergraduate woman at 线上赌场. She said history professor , who joined the faculty in 1968, was a tremendous role model who helped her see the significance of being a woman at 线上赌场.
鈥淚 always thought I was standing on the shoulders of other women; she helped me understand that there were women standing on my shoulders now,鈥 Kezer said.
At that moment, , the A. and R. Newbury Professor of English and vice provost for academic initiatives and an adviser to the 线上赌场 Hall project, took the podium as the celebration began, hailing the pioneering female faculty members of 线上赌场.
鈥淲omen like , , Marysa Navarro 鈥︹
With the mention of Navarro鈥檚 name, the room erupted with cheers and applause as Will gestured to the emerita professor at the front of the room.
鈥淥h, my goodness, she鈥檚 here,鈥 Kezer said, joining the ovation.
